You have to have nerves of steel to drive
Since I was very little I liked to have dolls to play with them, my mother, Leonides, who made clothes, did not have the income to afford them. baby Jesus put a doll in my shoes, that was one of the happiest days of my life. Although my other dream was to have a bicycle and a car.
One night I went to sleep in my room, I dreamed that my mother bought me a bicycle and I was racing through the streets of the neighborhood where I live. The next day, when I sat down in the dining room to have breakfast with her, I told her about the dream I had. Very excited she replied "¡Stop thinking about bicycles, I don't have the resources to buy one for you!". She inhaled air, then expelled it and continued: ""Study, be a professional, work and with the income you receive you will see that you will be able to have everything you long for"".
One day, I was at home with some school mates doing a group assignment. When we finished it, we started talking and I said: "When I grow up I'm going to have a late model car".
My mother heard me and said: "remember that you are very nervous, when you see a cockroach in the bathroom you start running and screaming". She looked me in the eyes and added: "To drive a car you have to have nerves of steel". I remained thoughtful, I did not articulate words. Then I continued chatting with my colleagues.
Throughout the years, studying at the university, I met many friends who had bicycles, and they invited us to teach us how to ride them. After classes we would go to the beach of San Luis, very close to this house of studies, before reaching its shore, there was a wide sidewalk, with a very long linear length, for pedestrian use. From Monday to Friday, the beach was little frequented. We would take advantage of the opportunity to have those friends with their bicycles teach us how to ride them on those sidewalks.
For the first time in my life, I got on a bicycle. When I took the handlebars and rode a very short distance, I fell on my knees to the ground and scraped them, blood was coming out of them and they were burning, helped by a friend, I sat on the shore of the beach, holding the pain, I sprayed my knees with salt water. My friends encouraged me to practice again. And I told them:
At that moment I felt betrayed by nerves. Embarrassed I said:
"My knees hurt, I'd better go home" From that moment on I made no more attempt to learn to ride a bicycle.
After a few years, I graduated from the University and immediately started working at the University. The following year, I met Efrain, we became engaged and within ten months we were married. Soon after, my husband bought a late model car, and told me: "My love, this car is for you". I was very excited and hugged him and told him: "Thank you my life, at this moment I have realized my dream, I felt so excited that I began to shout: "I'm happy, I'm happy!" My husband smiled seeing in me so much happiness, then he carried me and kissed me. I told him: "The problem is that I don't know how to drive" He replied: "Next weekend, we are going to practice on a dirt road, via El Peñon, which is not very busy with vehicles".
When I arrived that weekend, I went with my husband, very happy to receive my driving practice. My heart did not fit in my chest, its beating was as fast as the speed of light. When we arrived at the site, he told me: "Now you are going to sit in this seat and I will be your co-driver.
As I sat down, I felt butterflies fluttering inside my stomach. My hands were sweating, like the dew, when it moistens the plants.
My husband explained to me that this car had an automatic mechanical system. Then he began to give me the instructions to drive it: First he handed me the key. Then he tells me: "Put your hands on the steering wheel, see if the shift lever is in Pare (P), if it is there, then put the key in the Twitch, and start the car. Then he asks me: "Are you going to pull it forward?", I answered: "Yes" "Then put the shift lever in D". So I did, as I'm going on a straight line. Everything was going very well, I spotted in the distance a truck coming down its channel as it approached, I felt a shiver from head to toe, nerves took hold of me. I let go of the steering wheel and lifted my feet. My husband had to hold it, and step on the brake, thus stopping the vehicle. Within seconds the truck continued down its channel and passed me. Then I began to cry and remembered my mother's words:
"To drive a car you have to have the nerves of steel..." """" My husband consoled me by saying: "Don't worry, next month I will enroll you in a driving school so you can learn faster. I hugged him and said very quietly in his ear "If my nerves don't betray me" He smiled and we returned to our house.
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ESPAÑOL
Hay que tener nervios de acero para conducir
Desde muy pequeña me gustaba tener muñecas para jugar con ellas, mi madre, Leonides, que hacía ropa, no tenía ingresos para permitírmelas. Cuando era adolescente, el niño Jesús me puso una muñeca en los zapatos, ese fue uno de los días más felices de mi vida. Aunque mi otro sueño era tener una bicicleta y un coche.
Una noche me fui a dormir a mi habitación, soñé que mi madre me compró una bicicleta y yo corría por las calles del barrio donde vivo. Al día siguiente, cuando me senté en el comedor a desayunar con ella, le conté el sueño que había tenido. Muy emocionada me contestó "¡Deja de pensar en bicicletas, no tengo recursos para comprarte una¡". Inhaló aire, luego lo expulsó y continuó: "Estudia, sé profesional, trabaja y con los ingresos que recibas verás que podrás tener todo lo que anhelas".
Un día, estaba en casa con unos compañeros haciendo un trabajo en grupo. Cuando lo terminamos, empezamos a hablar y dije: "Cuando sea mayor voy a tener un coche último modelo".
Mi madre me oyó y me dijo: "recuerda que eres muy nerviosa, cuando ves una cucaracha en el baño empiezas a correr y a gritar". Me miró a los ojos y añadió: "Para conducir un coche hay que tener nervios de acero". Me quedé pensativa, no articulé palabra. Luego seguí charlando con mis compañeras.
A lo largo de los años, estudiando en la universidad, conocí a muchos amigos que tenían bicicletas, nos invitaron para enseñarnos a conducirlas. Después de clases íbamos a la playa de San Luis, muy cerca de esta casa de estudios, antes de llegar a su orilla, había una acera ancha, con una longitud lineal muy larga, para uso peatonal. De lunes a viernes, la playa era poco frecuentada. Nosotras aprovechábamos, para que aquellos amigos con sus bicicletas nos enseñaran a circular con ellas por aquellas aceras.
Por primera vez en mi vida, me subí a una bicicleta. Cuando cogí el manubrio y recorrí una distancia muy corta, caí de rodillas al suelo y me las raspé, salía sangre de ellas y me quemaban, ayudada por un amigo, me senté en la orilla de la playa, aguantando el dolor, me rocié las rodillas con agua salada. Mis amigos me animaron a volver a practicar.
En ese momento me sentí traicionada por los nervios. Avergonzada dije:
"Me duelen las rodillas, mejor me voy a casa" A partir de ese momento no volví a intentar aprender a montar en bicicleta.
Al cabo de unos años, me licencié en la Universidad e inmediatamente empecé a trabajar en ella. Al año siguiente conocí a Efraín, nos comprometimos y en diez meses nos casamos. Poco después, mi marido compró un coche último modelo y me dijo: "Mi amor, este coche es para ti". Yo estaba muy emocionada, lo abracé y le dije: "Gracias mi vida, en este momento he realizado mi sueño, me sentí tan emocionada que empecé a gritar: "¡Soy feliz, soy feliz!". Mi esposo sonrió al ver en mí tanta felicidad, luego me cargó y me besó. Yo le dije: "El problema es que no sé conducir" Me contestó: "El próximo fin de semana vamos a practicar en un camino de tierra, por El Peñón, que no es muy transitado por vehículos".
Cuando llegó ese fin de semana, fui con mi esposo, muy contenta de recibir mi práctica de manejo. El corazón no me cabía en el pecho, sus latidos eran tan rápidos como la velocidad de la luz. Cuando llegamos al lugar, me dijo: "Ahora te vas a sentar en este asiento y yo seré tu copiloto.
Al sentarme, sentí mariposas revoloteando dentro de mi estómago. Me sudaban las manos, como el rocío cuando humedece las plantas.
Mi marido me explicó que este coche tenía un sistema mecánico automático. Luego empezó a darme las instrucciones para conducirlo: Primero me entregó la llave. Luego me dice: "Pon las manos en el volante, mira si la palanca de cambios está en Pare (P), si está, entonces mete la llave en el Twitch, y arranca el coche". Luego me pregunta: "¿Vas a tirar hacia adelante?", le respondí: "Sí" "A continuación, pones la palanca de cambios en D". Así lo hice, ya que voy en línea recta. Todo iba muy bien, divisé a lo lejos un camión que bajaba por su canal mientras se acercaba, sentí un escalofrío de pies a cabeza, los nervios se apoderaron de mí. Solté el volante y levanté los pies. Mi marido tuvo que sujetar el volante y pisar el freno, deteniendo así el vehículo. En unos segundos el camión siguió por su cauce y me adelantó.
Entonces empecé a llorar y recordé las palabras de mi madre: """Para conducir un coche hay que tener nervios de acero""" Mi marido me consoló diciéndome: "No te preocupes, el mes que viene te matricularé en una autoescuela para que aprendas más rápido". Lo abracé y le dije muy bajito al oído: "Si no me traicionan los nervios" Él sonrió y volvimos a nuestra casa.
It is not very easy to drive any vehicle, in truth you have to have nerves of steel and a lot of responsibility because in one way or another the integrity of life is exposed.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Good day.
How wonderful, @rammargarita. You have showed through your #CNF that not all desires may be satisfied when we would like - sometimes there just are insufficient resources to meet the want or need. However, despite the odds, you were quite blessed as you did end up with your doll, and you had the opportunity to try cycling. I wonder if you had received the support and love of a man like Efrain, while at University, whether your perspective of cycling may be different today 😉 And finally, the car! An important part of the dream. This time you did not waiver and surrender to your fear. You had Efrain's love and support to encourage you. Truly beautiful.
Thank you for sharing a story of your life in The Ink Well.
I liked your comment. May God bless you and your family. Have a happy weekend